Vergara family Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Vergara Family
Aristocracy & Political family
Country	Spain Chile Colombia United States
Current region	America y Europe
Earlier spellings	Bergara
Etymology	Elevated Fern
Place of origin	Vergara, Guipúzcoa, Spain

The Vergara family is one of the most aristocratic families of Colombia and Chile. Had its period of greatest influence between XVII, XVIII and XIX century. The family is spread across several branches in Spain, Colombia, Chile and the US. Considered one of the first families of spaniards in the Americas having arrived first as conquistadors, and royal officers of the spanish crown. The Vergara Family have produced four presidents of Colombia by the same surname; and three more related by blood. Other branch is considered amongst the founding families of Chile. Originally from Gipuzkoa, Spain, more specifically from Bergara, the Municipality in Basque Country.

Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain

Origin
- Surname Vergara
Branches
- Chile
- Colombia
Toponymy
See also

Origin

The Vergara are descendents from spanish conquistadors and nobility. In Navarra they were a family with armery, meaning they had the right to have coat of arms and be considered a well known house the basque country. During the middle ages they founded different houses in Abalcisqueta, Azcoitia, Azpeitia, Berástegui, Cizúrquil, Elgóibar, Elduayen, Elgóibar, Elgueta. Oñate, San Sebastián, Tolosa y Bergara.By 1391 the family already had a mayor in Bergara, Juan Martínez de Azcarate, related to the branches that ended up in America.

Surname Vergara

Vergara is a toponymic named after the spanish version of the Basque region of Bergara found in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. In Spain, many families adopted this trend of using a toponymic surname to associate themselves with a place or a noble house.

Branches

Chile

Coat of Arms of the Vergara family in Chile as confirmed by Mujica and the Carraffa brothers

Santiago

This branch of the Vergaras is considered one of the most important Chilean colonial families, was founded by an Hidalgo born in Gibraleón, Huelva. He first arrived to Chile in 1601. And, Gaspar de Vergara, born in Villaflores, Salamanca, of Basque origin and son of the secretary of Bergara and Maria Hernandez Jiron. He arrived in Chile in 1536, joining Diego de Almagro's expeditions and then, in 1540, with Pedro de Valdivia onto the founding of Santiago, Chile. He never married though he recognized his children, all daughters:

Children

Ines de Vergara, married to Sebastian Garcia
Luisa de Vergara, married to Juan Fernandez Garces and then to Antonio Lozano
Francisca de Vergara, married to captain Cristobal Salvador Celaya. Their son Gaspar Salvador de Vergara carried the Vergara name to his descendants

Second migration: In the second half of the 18th century, another member of the broader Vergara family came to Chile: Antonio de Vergara, who married Manuela Garcia.

Talca branch

This branch was founded by royal lieutenant, Juan Martínez de Vergara, born in Guipuzcoa, Basque in 1589 and died in Chimbarongo, Colchagua in 1662.

A hidalgo, he arrived in South America destined for Chile and the War of Arauco in 1601. He was enlisted in the troops who accompanied Governor Alonso de Ribera, who was considered the organizer of the army in the kingdom of Chile. He was in the company commanded by Captain Gines de Lillo and helped with his arms in the forts of Santa Fe and Talcahuano. In 1628 he was already in the rank of captain. He was the backbone one of the most important Chilean colonial families and given an encomienda for his services to the Spanish Crown.

Son of Juan Martínez de Vergara, a native of Guipuzcoa and Isabel Alonso Marquez, a neighbor, of Gibraleón. She was the daughter of Teresa Alonso Marquez, and of the same region.

In 1634 he married Magdalena de Leiva Sepulveda, daughter of a Sevillian captain, Antonio de Leiva Sepulveda and Mariana de la Cerda Niza y Corral.

Children

Juan Martínez de Vergara y Leiva Sepulveda born in Chillán in 1645 and married on 22 October 1670 in Santiago with Ana Gomez Ceballo y Ugarte Escobar. He died at his ranch in Talcamo (Talca) on 18 January 1723.
Isabel Martínez de Vergara y Sepulveda Leiva married an Asturian Maestre de Campo, Pedro Fernández de Albuerne Ondina. He wrote his will on his ranch in San Francisco Talcamo (Talca) Paguelo on 11 December 1676 and died in 1677.
Mariana Leiva Martínez de Vergara y Sepulveda married on 8 July 1662 in Nancagua with the Spanish gentleman, Lieutenant José Antonio de Labra y Vega, a native of Cangas de Onis and Maestre de Campo in 1660. She died 8 March 1702.
Francisca Martínez de Vergara y Sepulveda married Rodrigo Leiva Verdugo de Sarria y de la Corte.
Jacinta Martinez Vergara y Sepulveda married Domingo Valdés y Fernandez de Villalobos.

La Serena

Another branch established itself in La Serena, Chile by Francisco de Vergara in the 18th century who married Maria Antonia de Santelices Corbalan.

Colombia

Coat of arms of Vergara family in Colombia, found in the book ¨Antonio de Vergara Azcárate y sus descendientes*

The founder of the linage that ended up in Colombia was the Baron Martin de Vergara y Azcarate. Martin changed his last name from Azcarate to Vergara y Azcarate after his hometown in 1515, making the family be known as The Vergaras from that point forward.

The most important branch of this family are descendants of the Royal Treasurer Antonio de Vergara Azcarate y Davila, from Bogotá, Colombia

The most important branch of this family is located in Santafé de Bogotá, Colombia. That within more than 15 generations they have participated in the history of Colombia in its different periods such as the colony, the independence and the republics. They have had several influential members in the country, from nobility, Royal Treasurers, Generals, Presidents; of which there are seven who have held the position of the Colombian presidency, who are members or are related to the family by affinity. In addition, Governors, Mayors, Ambassadors, Ministers, politicians, academics, soldiers, knights of different orders, Freemasons of different lodges, writers, poets, several stewards of the chapel of the tabernacle of Bogotá, notaries, rectors, lawyers, engineers, architects and businessmen.

Presidents
Luis de Ayala y Vergara	1812	4° President The United Provinces of New Granada
Felipe de Vergara Azcarate y Caycedo	1812	6° President The United Provinces of New Granada
Estanislao Vergara y Sanz de Santamaria	1828-1830	3° President of Gran Colombia
Domingo Caycedo y Sanz de Santamaria	1823 & 1831	4° & 7° President of Gran Colombia
Ignacio Gutierrez Vergara	1861-1862	President of the Granadine Confederation
Tomas Cirpiano de Mosquera y Arboleda Salazar	1845-1849 1862-1867	1° 3° 6° President of The United States of Colombia, 3° President of The United States of New Granada, 5° President of Republic of New Granada